


Lemonade

by blueandpinkhair



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death Note Rules, First work - Freeform, How Do I Tag, Lemon (Death Note), Mello isn't in here, No Beta, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, that should be a tag lol, well he is but in flashbacks and whatnot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:06:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26143819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueandpinkhair/pseuds/blueandpinkhair
Summary: Four and a half years after Kira fell, a new threat emerges. A serial killer Near has been trying to find for a little more than six months to no avail. And when the Death Note disappears from its hiding place, the stakes grow higher. But what happens when they find out it's not the Death Note the killer is after, but Near himself?
Relationships: Matt | Mail Jeevas & Near | Nate River, Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River (Past)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First work! I've finally decided to add to this wonderful fandom. I hope you enjoy! :D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as Near starts to feel that the case is going nowhere, he finally gets inspiration to move. But it seems like that move could be risky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has original characters so any names related to real people, living or dead, is a coincidence. I do not own Death Note.

_The muderer is obviously looking for something. They want something. They have a goal that they feel the need to pursue. They are willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even if it means people die during the process. The question isn't only "who is the killer?", it's "what does the killer want?"_

`"L!"`

The voice over the intercom next to him shook Near out of his thoughts. He sighed, pressing a button to reply.

"Yes?"

`"We found crucial information on the serial killer!"`

"What is it, Rester?" Near twirled his hair around his finger, grabbing another piece of his puzzle and setting it into place. _Whatever this is, it could help solve the puzzle. Or make it more complicated. This case has been going nowhere so far, so I better not get my hopes up, just in case._

`"We thought it was one person, but it's not. It's at least three different people! They are all working together."`

"How do you know that for sure?" Near asked, finding another puzzle piece that fits.

`"We have one of them in custody."`

Near couldn't help a small, miniature smile. _Well, this has just gotten much more interesting…_

____________

When Near had sent Rester out to gather information, he didn't expect the man to find much of anything. They have been running in circles trying to catch this killer for months on end, but whoever it was always got them stumped. So the fact that Rester didn't just find helpful information, but someone who is actually involved, surprised Near. 

"We got the moniter hooked up, L. You should be able to see him," Rester told Near. 

"Thank you," Near said, pushing a button causing the hostage to show up on the screen. Luckily, Rester had knocked the guy out before anyone could be harmed during the capturing. 

Near cleared his throat before pushing a button to speak to the killer. "Hello. I am L." The hostage looked up into the camera as Near continued. "I would like to ask some questions if you don't mind."

"You're gonna ask questions anyway, so I don't care," the killer snapped (in a British accent, Near noticed). 

Near took that as a yes. "What is your name?" he began.

"Ivor Pearce. But my buds call me Green," the man - Ivor - answered. 

_Basic nickname, but it could be useful. Still, why did he just give out his real name like that? Is it fake? Did this person just give up? Or is he just plain stupid?_

"Look up the name, please," Near told Rester. Rester nodded, turning to a separate computer to start his research. Near pushed the button again. "Who do you work for?" 

"Getting down to the point, eh?" Ivor smiled, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Okay, I'll tell you. On one condition."

Near fought back a sigh. He knew where this was going. "I'm listening." 

"I get some homemade cherry pie before you lock me up or whatever," Ivor said with a small laugh.

Near would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised or even impressed. This guy obviously wasn't afraid, and it seemed like he knew this was going to happen. What was this guy up to? 

"Deal," Near agreed. "I'll make sure you get some before we arrest you." Ivor smiled, pleased with himself. "Now, who do you work for?" Near pressed. 

"I work for L," the man answered, smirking. Near froze and Rester looked up from his research. 

"Does he mean that?" Rester asked, glancing at Near. 

"Of course not," Near told him quickly, mind racing. Though Pearce must have noticed Near's hesitation and spoke up again. 

"Not you," he laughed, licking his lips. "Lemon." 

Lemon? Why does that name ring a bell for Near? 

"Who's Lemon?" Rester asked, mostly to himself. When Near asked the hostage, the man just laughed again. 

"I already said more than I should. I don't want Lemon to come after my ass," Ivor replied, looking a little nervous for the first time since he was captured. 

Near twirled his hair in thought. Obviously this Lemon person has struck a bit of fear into this guy. Something told Near that if he finds Lemon, this whole mystery will be solved. 

"I found him," Rester said, turning in his chair toward Near, who was sitting on the floor. "Ivor Pearce, 36. He's an electrician and he is also known for making bullets." 

_So he's a bullet maker. That's how he's useful to Lemon. The killer is well known for shooting his victims, but we could never trace the bullets. This is why. He just makes Ivor make them for him, or whoever does the actual killing._

"Thank you, Rester. Please make sure Pearce gets his pie." Near wasn't one to break promises. 

"Will do," Rester said and got up to leave. "Oh, and L?" 

"Yes?" 

"I just have this big feeling that this Lemon guy is dangerous." 

"Obviously," Near agreed. "That's how he's still out there." 

"Yeah, but… just be careful, okay?" 

Near nodded, eyes not leaving the man on the screen. "Of course." 

____________

_Green's down_

Those words flashed in Lemon's face. Scolding, taunting. 

_Green's down_

"Dammit!" 

_My only bullet maker is gone and I only have a few bullets left. I'll have to go get a new one. Dammit, L! He's ruining everything!_ Lemon took a deep breath. _Calm down, you need to think. First, I have to find out who should be my new bullet maker. Then, I'll have to find a way to get them. Okay, new plan…_

____________

_"Mello? What are you doing?" Near poked Mello, trying to get his attention. Currently, they were outside of Wammy's, sitting in a small grass field. Matt was with them._

_"Hush, I'm trying to concentrate!" Mello snapped, not glancing up from the letter he was writing._

_"I know, but who are you writing to?" Unfortunately, when Near was very young, he tended to try and get Mello's attention all the time, annoying the older boy. Maybe Near just wanted to make friends, though when he was older, he would surely hesitate to admit that. Not because he was ashamed of it, but because those were hard times for him. He had no one else to talk to except for Matt and Mello._

_"It doesn't matter! Now shut up!" Mello pushed Near away, but the boy just came right back to peer over his shoulder._

_Near was only able to read "I miss you" before he got pushed away again._

_"Matt, Near keeps bugging me!" Mello complained- no, whined._

_"Mello, stop pushing him. Near, leave Mello alone," Matt ordered, looking up from his game. He always had to do this. But, for some reason, he didn't mind. It amused him a little to see Near and Mello bickering, though he never understood why. Maybe he was interested in the strange relationship - if you could call it that - they both had. But whatever the reason, Matt was the mediator of those two._

_Mello stuck his tongue out at Near before going back to his writing._

_"Time for bed!" someone suddenly called out._

_Bed? But it's still light out…_

Near opened his eyes, blinking when the sun hit them. He, once again, almost laughed at the realness of it until the very end where someone had said it was bedtime. He's had that dream every night for five days now, though he had no idea what it meant. 

What was more confusing was the fact that it was not just a dream, but a memory. Except for that last part, of course, but that was sort of expected. 

Despite how many times Near had tried to find out why his brain had decide to focus on that memory - and why it felt so goddamn important - he could never figure it out. At first, he had assumed it was the letter that was important, but since he didn't know what it said nor who it was for, Near couldn't see why it was a big deal. He hasn't stopped assuming it was the letter since it was one of the few things that seemed important, but he couldn't help but feel like it was something else.

"Near?" 

Near looked up in surprise, shocked to see Lidner standing next to him. "Yes?" he asked. 

"You fell asleep on front of your computer again," she pointed out. Sure enough, Near saw an open laptop before him, needing charging before it can be used again. 

"Oh, I see." He's been doing that a lot lately, getting less and less sleep every night because of the case; the Lemon Case, he can now call it. Which reminded him of the Kira Case, which reminded him of the Death Note, which reminded him of his deceased friends. Not that Mello would dare call him a friend, but that's not the point. The point is, he has not been getting much sleep and memories keep invading his mind when he doesn't want them to. 

"I'll get the charger," Lidner told him and walked away. 

Near sighed, looking around for his toy train. Something told him that they would need to travel soon. 

____________

"Red, prepare a trip to England, please." 

"Will do." Red walked out of the room to set up the trip and get ready for travel. 

_I sent Green out to leave a clue for L, but he got caught. Hopefully, he was smart enough to either leave the clue or send out a different one with the same meaning. Knowing him, he probably did._

"Soon, L will go to England, and when he does, we'll finally meet. He doesn't know what's coming for him." Laughing and walking over to the fridge, opening it, Lemon called Red. "Hey, will you get me some lemonade while you're there? I've ran out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seemed pretty fast-paced. I thought it was going too slow at first, so I gave it a huge edit. I'm new to this and this is not Beta'd, so if you see any errors or spelling mistakes, feel free to tell me! Thanks for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near, Lidner, and Rester land in England and almost as soon as they get there, Near finds an interesting clue to the Lemon Case.
> 
> Lemon makes a move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :D

"We're going to England."

"What? Why?" Lidner looked at Near curiously. "Why do we need to go to England?"

"I believe that's where Lemon is. At least, that's where he wants me to go," Near said, standing up and grabbing some of his toys. He had to get ready for this trip and he wasn't going without some of his toys.

"Why do you think that?" Rester asked.

"Ivor Pearce is German," Near explained, going to grab a nearby suitcase; Linder and Rester wondered how he had this stuff in the most random of places. "And after watching a video of him talking in it, I found that he doesn't have a British accent. The accent was fake, and yet, he didn't hesitate to give his real name and say who he was working for. Why would he go through the trouble of a fake accent if he knew we would know who he is? What was his intentions? Unless it was a clue, sent out by Lemon himself."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Lidner admitted. "But how do you know for sure it's a clue?"

"I don't. But I'm willing to take that risk. There's nothing to lose at this point." Near closed his laptop and put it in the suitcase.

"Except for your life," Rester pointed out. "Let's say you're right. How do you know this isn't a trap?"

"You seem extra worried about me lately, Rester," Near said with a small smile. Rester blinked but before he could say anything, Near continued. "Like I said before, I don't. This is a free-for-all."

"Where in England, though? Pearce faked a British accent, so… Britain?" Lidner asked. 

"Perhaps." Near paused, a strange feeling going through him. The same feeling he had when Pearce first said "Lemon". Familiar, but just out of reach. What was it? "I want to try Winchester first." 

"Winchester? Why?" Rester paused in his paper stacking. 

_That's where Wammy's is_ , Near thought, but didn't say. "You ask too many questions." 

"You say too many questionable things," Rester retorted back. 

"True," Near admitted, continuing with his packing.

____________

"Near, wake up. Near." 

Near woke up to Lidner shaking him softly. He must have fallen asleep again on the plane. "I'm up," he told her. 

"You seem very tired lately," Rester commented, standing up and getting his stuff. 

"I'm fine," Near reassured him, also standing up. "Have we landed?" 

"Yeah," Lidner told him. "Let's go." 

When they reached the hotel they would be staying at, Near felt like he was going to pass out again. It didn't go unnoticed. 

"Maybe you should sleep before we do anything," Rester suggested. 

"No no, I'll be fine," Near repeated for what felt like the millionth time. "I can go a bit longer." 

"I don't think you can," Lidner pointed out. "But anyway, I'm going to go to my room and set up stuff." 

"Go ahead," Near dissmissed her. Lidner couldn't help but roll her eyes; she wasn't asking for permission. Though she thought Near might already know that, so she didn't say anything. 

When she left, Rester turned to Near. "You sleep, I'll unpack," he ordered. 

"No," Near stubbornly replied. He was an adult, he can - and will - do what he wants. 

"Near…" 

Near ignores him, going to sit on the couch in front of a coffe table. He liked this hotel, it was quite cozy. A perfect place for his toys and puzzles. 

On the table, he spotted a newspaper laying in the middle of a stack of magazines. He grabbed it, still ignoring Rester's protests on his lack of sleep and started reading it. At first, it was all boring stuff - to him: lottery stats, some politics, etc. It wasn't until he flipped the next page when, at the top, he reads _"New serial killer on the loose"_.

 _How interesting,_ Near thought and proceeds to read it.

 _Oh, right. Now I remember this one. This newspaper is old, I've already solved this case. Or have I…?_ Thinking back on it, this case was the first of many serial killer cases he has had to solve in the span of only a few months. While doing that, he was also trying to track down Lemon. Were these all connected? They did just find out that Lemon had people working for him, so it was possible. 

Near knew he still had saved information on that case, so he took out his laptop and got to work (yet again ignoring Rester's complaints on Near working as soon as they got to the hotel).

____________

"Whatcha got for me?" 

"Orange found Anthony Rester and has tracked him to a hotel here in Winchester. He says that Rester is with two other people." 

"Good. Make sure he keeps tracking them." Lemon thought for a moment. "Red, did Orange say what the other two looked like?" 

"He only said that one of the people was a woman. He didn't get a good look at the third." 

_Of course not. L is sneaky that way,_ Lemon thought. 

"And Blue?" 

"Blue has landed in New York as of a few minutes ago." 

"Perfect. Just as I planned. Hey, before you go and get my new bulletmaker and talk to Orange, can you get me a refill of this lemonade?" Red nodded and took the glass cup from his boss's hand. "Make it fancy," Lemon added as Red was walking out. 

_Following Anthony Rester was a good idea, then. I knew he was involved in the Kira Case, as well as a few other people, along with L. At least, the newest L._ Lemon chuckled. _The SPK. That's what they called themselves. So the woman must be… Lidner. Yes, Halle Lidner. Huh, this is turning out to be more exciting than I expected…_

____________

"If Lemon wanted us to go to England, what is his plan with us?" Lidner asked. 

Currently, they were sitting on the couches of the living area in Near's and Rester's hotel room. Near was busy with his finger puppets. L's puppet on his right index finger, and one that said "Lemon" on his left. 

"I would assume that he would bring us here because he wants to either meet L, or kill him. Maybe both," Near deduced. 

"That's… not comforting," Rester said nervously. 

"But, of course, I can't assume," Near told them. "Which means… I don't know." 

"What?" Lidner gasped. Rester was just as shocked. Near rarely said he didn't know anything about a criminal's motives, if ever. Probably because he almost always knew the motives. 

"I don't know what exactly Lemon wants," Near repeated. "All I know is that he wants us - me - here." 

"So you're going to be walking into this blindly?" Lidner questioned. 

"Yes," Near replied, putting the L puppet down on the coffee table. 

"That's pretty stupid," Lidner pointed out. 

"It is," Near agreed, "but, unfortunately, it's all we got." 

None of them liked that thought. The clue that Lemon left - if it was a clue - could get them in danger. It was risky, but like Near said, it was all they had. 

"Okay. I'm with you," Lidner told him. "But we still need a plan. Just… something. A plan B." 

"Agreed." Rester nodded. 

Near sighed, squinting at the Lemon puppet. "Then we need to think fast." 

_What are you up to, Lemon? What are you planning?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near decides to take initiative and because of that, Lemon almost couldn't believe his luck. Almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I was writing and was mostly done when my computer suddenly restarted and updated and I wasn't able to save this chapter. But it's out now! I hope you enjoy it!

"So you think this is connected?" Lidner asked Near, reading the newspaper article.

"Perhaps. If so, it could have been a clue Lemon left a while ago but we didn't pick up on it, or it could have been a mistake." Near twirled his hair and laid back against the pillows of his bed. They were in Near's bedroom at this moment.

"Mistake? How?" Rester questioned.

"If it wasn't intended to be a clue, then it was just where he first started out. That is, if it's even related to the Lemon Case," Near explained. 

"I see." 

"Hey, Near?" Lidner said. 

"Yes?" Near picked up his Rubix Cube to jumble it up and redo it. 

"Look at me," Lidner told him. "Please?" 

Near paused for a moment before glancing up at the woman curiously. Not that he showed it, but he was curious. 

"Eye contact, Near," Lidner reminded the younger to his surprise. How could she tell he wasn't making direct eye contact? He wasn't looking too far away from her eyes. 

"Why is Lidner saying that?" Near asked, looking back down at his puzzle, noticeably avoiding the eye contact. 

In Near's peripheral vision, he saw Lidner and Rester share a knowing look. _What are they up to?_ Near asked himself. 

"Never mind," Lidner waved it off, but that only made Near more suspicious. 

"Anyway, if Lemon had been committing murders for this long without getting caught, how will we find him?" 

"In case you have forgotten," Near reminded him, "Kira had been killing for six years before he got caught." 

"Though there has been other murderers who have never been caught," Rester pointed out. 

Near hesitated for a moment before replying, "You may back out of this if you want. I wouldn't blame you as this is very dangerous. Same for you, Lidner." 

"Oh, hell no," they both said in unison. 

"We're sticking with you," Lidner added. 

"Then I have confidence that we will find him," Near told them. "And besides," Near glanced at them, giving a small smile, "we caught Kira himself, didn't we?" 

____________

"Uh… what are you doing?" Red asked Lemon, who was standing in front of a mirror. 

"I want to look nice for L," Lemon replied, grabbing a comb. 

"Why?" 

Eye roll. Apparently Red had forgotten that one: It would be the first time Lemon is meeting L in person, and two: It's the World's Greatest Detective for crying out loud, who wouldn't? But Lemon decided to answer the question more politely anyway. 

"I'm meeting him today, duh." 

____________

"You're _what?!_ " Lidner and Rester exclaimed. 

"I said, I'm going out," Near repeated. They heard him, didn't they? 

"Oh, really?" Lidner asked unbelievably. 

"Yes." 

"And where are you going out to?" Lidner raised an eyebrow. 

That earned a pause from Near. Where would he go? Where _can_ he go? _How_ can he go? 

He sighed, defeated. "Lidner, would you be a dear and come with me?" 

Rester had to stifle a laugh at Near's attempt at being polite as Lidner rolled her eyes. "Fine," she agreed. "I choose where, though." 

"Of course." They all knew Near couldn't go anywhere by himself without risking the fact that Near could get lost. Or worse.

"So. What's the reason for this?" Lidner questioned after her and Near had gotten into the car they had rented. "And don't you dare try to lie." 

Near twirled his hair, gazing curiously out the window as he answered, "What else can I do? Usually I wait, but I have noticed that Lemon loves hands-on action. He isn't going to allow me to wait. He wants me to take action."

"And what action is that?" Lidner glanced at Near suspiciously for a moment before going back to to the road. 

"Meeting him." 

____________

Faint static filled Lemon's earpiece before a voice sounded. "Found them. They are at a café in Winchester. I'll send you the address." 

"Thank you, Orange." Throwing away the plastic water bottle that used to be filled with lemonade, Lemon followed the directions Orange had sent and pulled into the parking lot of said café.

"It's time." 

______

"This milkshake is so delicious," Lidner commented, relishing the sweetness. "Want to try some?" 

"No thank you," Near politely refused. He glanced around the café, hoping to catch a certain fellow who called himself Lemon. Though he knew that he had no idea what Lemon looked like, he was willing to try and search for him, just in case. 

"Relax," Lidner reminded the younger. "Getting stressed and tense won't help anything." 

Near sighed softly, looking down at the table for a minute before glancing at Lidner's milkshake. "I would like to try some." 

"Changed your mind?" Lidner smirked as she handed over the cup. 

Mindful of the germs, Near took a small sip. "I should get my own," he said when he realized that the milkshake was actually pretty good. 

"Go ahead," Lidner agreed as she took the half-full cup back, taking a sip of her own. She paused, though, seeing that Near was staring at her, unblinking. "What?" she asked nervously. 

"I am unsure of how to get my own." Near fiddled with his finger, looking down at them. Was he feeling self-conscious? That would be a new one, but Near has never had to order things at restaurants and such. 

"Oh. Here, watch." Near glanced up at her as she waved down a waiter. "Hey, can we have another one of these milkshakes, please?" 

"Of course," the waiter offered with a smile. "Be right back." 

"Thank you," Lidner said and the waiter walked away to fullfill the order. She turned back to Near. "See? That's all you have to do." 

_Learn something new every day,_ Near thought to himself. "Thank you for showing me." 

"No problem." Lidner took another sip of her milkshake.

As Near took a sip of his own, he couldn't help but rake his eyes across the café again. _Mello would be a lot better at taking initiative than me. Could I be doing something wrong? What would Mello do?_ Near sighed. He missed Mello, he couldn't deny that. He missed everything about him. His blue eyes, his smirk, his blond hair… 

Near suddenly caught sight of a person with blond hair and he froze, staring. _That hair, that face… could it be?_ He focused more on the person, who was currently looking down at something. The bright green loose sweatshirt they were wearing with the hood up wouldn't be something Mello would wear but, just maybe… 

The person looked up and met Near's eyes. They had blue eyes, just like Mello did. Near's hopes got up slightly, until the person let down their hood and Near frowned a little. _Not only did I see the wrong person, but this person is a woman. Dammit, I'm such an idiot!_ Though Mello did look a bit feminine, so really, how much could you blame? 

"Near?" 

Near's head snapped back to Lidner, who was looking at him curiously. "Yes?" he asked. 

"Are you good?" Lidner questioned. 

"Yes, I'm just thinking," Near replied. 

"Okay…" Lidner didn't sound like she believed him, but she let it go. 

Near glanced back at where the woman was, but she was gone. In her place, though, was a man. He was staring so intently at Near that it looked like he was glaring. A feeling of fear and excitement cursed through Near. 

_Could this be him? Could I be looking at Lemon right now?_ Near quickly analized the man, just in case. Blue eyes - way lighter than Mello's, Near noted - and shaggy blond hair - also lighter. He had a pretty lean build and looked to be about 5'8", though Near wasn't totally sure about the height. 

"Miss Lidner?" Near looked back at Lidner sternly. "I have a feeling we should probably go." 

"Alright," Lidner agreed, standing up with Near following suit. "Where-?" 

"Just go to the hotel," Near told her. 

Before walking away, Near swiftly takes his milkshake off the table. He knows he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he'd be damned if he didn't take that milkshake with him. 

____________

_I finally got what I wanted. I saw him,_ Lemon thought, drinking from a milkshake. Suddenly, an email came in through Lemon's phone. 

`Blue did it.`

Those three words were enough to make Lemon smirk. _Get ready, L, because your world will start to fall. This is just the beginning…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to find out what Blue has done, and we also get to learn a bit more about Lemon. Speaking of, Lemon decides to make a call to L himself…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! :)

_If that was Lemon I saw, then I'm guessing by how he looked at me he knows who I am. Was that what the meeting was for? Or does he have something else in mind?_

"Oh my God!"

Near and Lidner looked up at Rester, who was currently going through the security videos of the coffee shop and erasing any footage containing Near and Lidner. 

"What is it, Rester?" Lidner asked, standing up and going to look over Rester's shoulder. 

"I just got a message from the headquarters," Rester explained, frantic. "They said that the Death Note was stolen!" 

"What? But how?!" Lidner exclaimed. "How the hell did they get through security?" 

"I'm checking the footage right now," Rester told her. 

"I believe," Near began, scooping up a bag of dominos, "that we have made a mistake." The other two glanced at him curiously before Near rephrased. "That _I_ have made a mistake." 

"How?" Rester questioned, confused. 

"Perhaps Lemon brought us here, to Winchester," Near started placing his dominos, "to get us away from the murder notebook so he can take it." 

Lidner shook her head, almost disbelieving. "But how could he have known of the Death Note's existence? The only people who know about it is us, Gevanni, the old Task Force, and…" 

"Kira," Near finished. "Though I don't believe it is any of them." Near sighed. He could have sworn that he didn't let anything about the Death Note leak, but anything was possible.

"Well, we need to find a way to get it back," Lidner said. 

"Yes," Near agreed. "Though, I have a feeling that in order to do so, we have to wait. Lemon wants something from us. If it was even him who took the notebook." 

____________

"Tell Blue to bring it here, please. …Look, that doesn't matter- Yes, I know that L is here, too. Just hand it over. … Yes… No- …no! Oh my God, why did I hire you?" Lemon sighed, squeezing the phone tightly. "Listen, just bring it here to Winchester. I'll take care of everything else. Yes, I'll be fine, just… just do as I asked, dammit! How hard can this be?!" 

"Lemon-" Red froze in the doorway of the hotel when he saw that his boss was angrily yelling into the phone. He silently closed the door and opted to wait. Lemon was usually calm in these situations, which shows that Lemon is beyond pissed already, perhaps even before the call. 

"Okay, now you're getting it." Yet another sigh came out as Lemon noticed Red come in. "Yes, then please make sure my new bulletmaker is connected. Yup, thanks Orange." Lemon hung up. "God, I'm already done with that asshole. Hell, I'm done with everyone!" 

"You seem stressed," Red pointed out, wandering closer to Lemon. 

"No shit, Sherlock." Lemon sighed again and plopped down on the couch in the middle of the hotel room. "Phew! It's hot in here." 

"I can turn down the heat for you," Red offered, but Lemon waved him off. 

"It's all good. Oh, but can you get me some lemonade? I've put quite a lot of it in the fridge." 

Red nodded and did as he was told, handing the drink to Lemon. 

"Thanks." Lemon immediately opened the bottle and took a sip, grinning at the taste. "You know what, Red? I'm gonna send a message to L. That would be fun, don't you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Red agreed, also sitting down on the couch. 

"Yup! Let's do it!" _Maybe this will calm my nerves,_ Lemon hoped, grabbing the laptop from the coffee table and turning it on. "Now… what to send?" 

____________

"Hm. This person is very skilled," Near commented, the three of them watching as someone who was hooded and masked take out some security guards just inside the front entrance. "I wonder who taught them…" 

"Near!" Lidner exclaimed. "This isn't the time to think about that!" 

"I understand, but how could you not? This makes me want to learn how to do this myself." Lidner rolled her eyes as Near continued to gaze at the intruder curiously, twirling his hair. 

"So this guy just takes out a couple of security guards and runs as fast as they can and suddenly now they have the Death Note?" Rester was obviously exaggerating, but Near still spoke up. 

"They're very skilled, Rester. I'm sure they would have found it one way or another." 

"I know that." 

"But-" 

"I was exaggerating, Near." Rester wasn't angry, but at times reminding Near of this could get annoying. 

"Oh. I see. Though I wonder, how did they know where the murder notebook was in the first place? Curious." Near continued watching the screen, and just as the person had escaped the building with the notebook, a call came in on the laptop. 

"What-?" 

"Answer it." Near cut Rester off, hand flying out and covering the camera on the device. _We need to get a sticker or something to cover this,_ Near thought as Rester closed the tab with the footage and answered the call. 

Immediately, a bright yellow screen appeared. The three of them stared expectantly at it, waiting. When nothing happened, Rester spoke up and said, "That's a terrible shade of yellow." 

Lidner flashed him a look and and Rester did an "I couldn't help it" gesture. Near just kept staring blanky at the laptop. 

A muffled _"Excuse me?"_ came out of the computer, shocking everyone, even Near. The voice continued. _"I'll have you know that I was going to do red at first, but then I decided to do green. But then I changed my mind last minute and did this yellow."_

"Maybe you should've stuck with green," Rester mumbled. "This is hurting my eyes." 

The person behind the computer sighed, and after a few moments, the color turned to a moderate green. _"How's this?"_

"Much better." Rester and Lidner shared a look. They were both thinking the same thing: If this is Lemon, then he seemed very… at ease. 

"Who are you?" Lidner spoke up.

_"Ah, another voice! Well, I'm Lemon. Hi."_

_So Lemon has decided to call. I wonder why. I can't hear his voice well, it's too muffled. The likeliness of being able to trace this call is under 1%. It might not be a good idea to try, technology has advanced enough that Lemon has very easily found out how to call our computer, so he might even know if we try to trace it. I, myself, wouldn't know for sure, but I do know that he's smart enough to make sure we can't trace this call. That's unfortunate, but expected._ Near frowned slightly. 

"If you're Lemon, then why did you call?" Rester asked, sharing another glance with Lidner. 

_You've read my mind,_ Near thought. 

_"I was bored. At first I was going to write a message, but then I decided that that would take forever. So I called you,"_ Lemon explained.

"So he's impulsive," Lidner muttered to herself. 

_"What?"_

"Oh. Nothing." 

_"Sweetie, I heard what you said. You called me- you know what? Never mind. That doesn't matter. I want to talk to L."_

"How do you know you aren't already?" Rester questioned. 

_"Because I do. Let me talk to him. Now,"_ Lemon ordered. 

"He's not here," Lidner told the person cautiously. 

_"Fine, let me rephrase."_

They waited, giving each other curious glances. What did Lemon have up his sleeve? 

_"I want to talk to Near."_

All of their eyes widened in shock. 

_"That's right,"_ Lemon continued. _"I know a lot more than you think…"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near remembers something that might help find out who Lemon is as their conversation comes to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh, it took less than a week to update this. Go me! :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> The part in italics is Near's memory.

_It was chilly outside. The cold wind blew softly across the snow-covered ground, making the air cooler than it was. The snow shimmered in the few places where the sun hit, making it look like there was a layer of glitter on the surface. If you looked closely, you could also see small footprints of an animal who had ran through the soft snow. There were trees in the background, icicles dangling from the bare branches. It was a wonderful view, the kind that you would love to take a picture of._

_It was also the sight Near was looking at through the window in Wammy's House. He was thankful that he was inside with the warm air, though he didn't mind gazing through the window. Maybe he could get Linda to draw it for him._

_"Near?"_

_He didn't want to get distracted from the view outside, so he ignored the voice._

_"Near!"_

Be quiet, _he thought, still not responding._

_"Ne-ar!!"_

_"Yes?" he said with a sigh, turning to the person who dared to bring him out of his trance. Now Near could clearly hear all the children bustling about in the main lobby. Great._

_Unsurprisingly, Mello stood before Near, arms crossed and glaring. "Finally! About time you listened!" The older boy rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips, irritation fading._

_"What does Mello need?" Near asked blankly, still annoyed at the interruption._

_Mello shrugged. "What were you looking at?"_

_"Outside," Near told him._

_"Yeah, duh," Mello rolled his eyes again. "But what exactly is it outside that you're looking at?"_

_"Everything," Near responded, already getting bored with the situation. "Is there something else that Mello needs?"_

_"Yeah." Mello reached in his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, opening it and taking a bite. "Me and Matt-"_

_"Matt and I," Near corrected, cutting Mello off._

_"Whatever. Anyway," Mello took another bite, "we were wondering if you wanted to meet someone."_

_"Who?" Near asked, starting to twirl his hair around his finger._

_"Oh, just someone who is visiting. He will only be here for a little while, but he's really cool. Do you want to meet him?"_

_Near looked over across the room at Matt, who was chatting with a boy who looked timid and shy. "No, thank you," Near replied, gazing back at Mello who immediately started to glare._

_"And why the hell not?" he snapped, blue eyes piercing gray, irritation back in full. Near quickly looked away, not wanting to see Mello's anger. The older boy can be scary at times._

_"I'm just not interested," Near explained, staring at his free hand picking at the hem of his shirt._

_"You don't have to like him," Mello said, angrily taking another bite of his chocolate. "Just say hi."_

_"I'd rather not." Near didn't want to be rude, but he wasn't too keen on meeting new people. It brought up a bit of anxiety for him and it very rarely ends with that person liking him._

_"Fine. Then don't." Mello stomped away towards Matt and the new boy, leaving Near alone at his spot by the window again._

_Gazing back outside, Near wondered why Mello got so defensive. This wasn't the first time Mello had tried to help Near make friends, and when Near refused Mello never got defensive._

_Near looked back at the now trio and stared at the boy for a minute. He seemed a little younger than Near, maybe the same age. The blond hair was noticeable, but what was even more so was the fact that the boy kept glancing at Mello who, Near saw, was grinning widely at the boy._

Hm. So Mello knows him. That explains it, _Near thought, turning back to the window with a sigh._

 _This view really was nice…_

____________

Silence filled the room as everyone in it was soaking in Lemon's words. 

How could Lemon know Near's alias that he got from Wammy's House? Did Lemon know him? Did he know Lemon? 

_"Ahem! Anyone there?"_ The voice came back, questioning and impatient. 

"Still here," Rester replied, glancing at Near to see his reaction. 

Near was twirling his hair with a free hand thoughtfully. _The only way Lemon could know my alias is if he was in the Kira Task Force, or has been at Wammy's House. Hm. Going on the person I saw at the café, I don't recognize him, and I know everyone at Wammy's. At least, I know their alias's and what they look like. So it can't be them._ Near paused, eyes widening a fraction. _Unless…_

"Lemon," he spoke up, startling both Rester and Lidner. "This is Near." 

_"Oh, goody,"_ they could hear a smile in Lemon's voice. "About time." 

"I want to ask you a question and I want you to answer honestly," Near told Lemon. 

_"Sure! Depending on what it is, of course."_

"Did you know someone that goes by the alias "Mello"?" Near asked, staring intently at the screen. 

More silence, this time mostly on Lemon's end. 

About a minute later Lemon finally responded by saying, _"Yes, I believe I did."_ Lemon's voice was quieter, sounding surprised by the question.

"And what was your relation to him?" Near continued. 

Another pause on Lemon's end. Suddenly, the screen went back to its normal screen, meaning Lemon had hung up. 

The three of them stared in shock at Lemon's sudden disappearance. 

"It seems I have chased him off," Near said blankly. 

"No shit," Lidner breathed. More silence. 

Suddenly, Near asked, "Anyone have any stickers?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy? Kudos and comments appreciated! :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near speaks to Mello and Lemon's plan can finally go into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another pretty quick update from me. I'm so proud of myself lol.  
> Enjoy! :D

The computer was now sitting in Near's lap as he rewatched the break-in at the headquarters. The front camera on said computer now had a sticker over it, due to the fact that Near had said that they were all idiots (including Near) and should have thought of the fact that someone could watch them through the camera. Everyone agreed on that fact, then moved on.

"Near?"

"Yes, Rester?"

"Why did you ask if Lemon knew Mello?" There it was. The question Near was waiting for.

"I believe," Near explained, "that Lemon knew Mello before he died."

"How?" Lidner asked curiously.

"Back at the orphanage, Mello wanted to introduce me to someone. I have deduced that the person he wanted me to meet was Lemon himself." Near squinted at the screen, a glimpse of brown hair being seen. _Hair color: check. Damn, this person is good at this,_ Near thought. "If only I had agreed…"

"So that's how he knew you," Rester muttered to himself.

"And that's why he was sensitive to the mention of Mello," Lidner added.

"Correct," Near agreed, rewinding the security footage and starting it again.

"Do you think Lemon and Mello could've been…" Rester trailed off, though everyone knew what he was referring to.

"Together? Perhaps." Near thought for a moment, now only half paying attention to the footage. "Or just a close friend."

"Family member?" Lidner suggested.

"Or that. Whoever they were to each other, they were close," Near responded. He frowned slightly as a notification came up on the computer screen. Warily, he clicked on it, sighing when he read the email and looked at the pictures. "It seems like there was another murder."

"Lemon?" Rester asked as Lidner groaned in annoyance.

"Yes." Definitely, if the basket of lemons next to the body said anything for it.

"So he's definitely in the area," Lidner said with a sigh as she looked over Near's shoulder. "The murder happened just a few blocks from here."

"Is it a message?" Rester wondered. 

"Possibly." Near turned off the computer and closed it, setting it down next to him. "Though if it is, it's most likely that it was to tell us that Lemon knows where we are."

"Not that surprising," Rester murmured. "He's probably tracking us right now." 

_If Lemon knew Mello, than that could be how he knows that much information about us, and about the murder notebook. Mello would have told him, either in a call, letter, or… letter?_ Near thought back to his reoccurring dream/memory. _So the letter did have some importance. That was most likely a letter to Lemon… how the hell did I not notice this before? And who knew dreams could be helpful?_

"Rester, please check for bugs around here," Near told him. _Lemon has already seen my face, I can't let him get my name if he has the Death Note._

Rester moved to get the bug detector as Lidner walked around the couch and sat next to Near. 

"Are you okay?" Lidner asked him, eyes filled with worry.

"I'm fine," Near responded, glancing at the woman from the corner of his eyes before landing down on his lap. 

Lidner sighed, though she knew not to push. Not yet, at least. 

____________

"Dammit!" Lemon ran a hand through their hair, glancing at Red. "It's not my fault for freaking out, was it? I mean, it feels like it is." 

Red, who wasn't used to these kinds of things, shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think so. I believe that was a normal reaction." 

Lemon chuckled a little at Red's attempt at making Lemon feel better. Well, Lemon guessed the man did, even just a little. 

_Mello… God, I can't even put into words how much I miss you. How much I want you back._ A sigh. _I would give everything just for you to be alive._

"Nevertheless," Lemon smirked, "L - or should I say, Near - might be figuring out who I am. My… relation with Mello would still be a mystery to him and his small group, though I know they will figure it out soon enough."

"What's your plan, Lemon?" Red asked in anticipation.

Lemon's grin widened, making Red smile, too. "My plan? Well. It involves the Death Note, of course." 

"And what is it?" Red started to get a little impatient, but he would never let any of his frustrations out on his boss.

"Listen closely, as I'm not repeating this again." Red listened intently as Lemon informed him, his smile growing to match that of Lemon's.

___________

A phone ringing broke Near out of his nap, blaring loudly in his ear. He opened his eyes and looked at the intruding cell phone on the coffee table. It seemed like Near had gotten comfortable on the couch. Well, that's fine. Right now, there was a call that he had to answer. 

"Hello." Near greeted sleepily.

 _"Hey, Near,"_ the caller replied. Near recognized the voice. 

"Mello!" he exclaimed incredulously. How? How could this be him? 

_"It's good to speak with you again,"_ Mello told him, smile in his voice.

"Mello, I…" Near hesitated, thinking of what to say. There was a million things that wanted to come out, but he had trouble speaking them. Finally, he could muster an "I miss you." 

_"I miss you, too. Honestly, I've always missed you."_ Mello chuckled, sounding amused. _"How are things going?"_

"There-there's someone called Lemon," Near suddenly blurted out. "He's been the cause of multiple murders." 

_"He- Lemon what?"_

"He's been killing people and now he has the murder notebook and-" 

_"Whoa, Near. Calm down, okay?"_ Near heard Mello sigh on the other end before the older man spoke again. _"I can't believe Lemon would- I just… Near. Have you seen-?"_

"Yes, I saw him. Mello, do you know what he wants?" Near held his breath, anticipating Mello's answer. 

_"I believe I do,"_ Mello answered, sounding a little angry. Near swore he could see Mello scowling as he said that. 

"So…" Near prompted him. 

Mello sighed, _"I can't tell you, Near. I'm sorry."_

"Why not?" Near frowned minutely. 

There was a long pause, and Near started to mess with a Rubix Cube, waiting for Mello to speak. After what felt like ten minutes - though probably wasn't - Mello finally spoke. And his words made Near's blood run cold. 

_"Because I'm dead."_

"No. Then why- _how_ am I talking to you?" Near blinked in surprise and confusion. 

_"Near, you should know this by now."_ Mello's voice was scolding, and as if he was disappointed in the younger boy. He probably was. 

"Know what?" Near asked, getting more confused and a bit frustrated. 

_"Anyone would be able to tell,"_ Mello responded.

"You're making me sound stupid," Near muttered, staring intently at the solved Rubix Cube. 

_"Maybe you are, just a little,"_ Mello teased. Suddenly, a shrill ringing echoed throughout the room, causing Near to flinch. 

"What the hell is that?" Near asked, mostly to himself. 

_"It means I'll have to go for now,"_ Mello answered. 

"Huh? No, please don't go," Near said quickly, trying to prolong the time he had with Mello. "Please, I have more questions and-" 

_"Goodbye, Near."_

… 

Near's eyes opened as he swore the ringing got louder. He was back to just laying on the couch, but this time he was covered in a blanket. 

He sat up as Rester grabbed the ringing phone and put it to his ear, silencing the horrid sound. 

Then, it all hit him at once. 

_It… it was just a dream. Dammit!_ He flopped back down with a sigh. 

____________

"Hey, Lemon!" 

Lemon, who was about to enter the hotel room, turned to the voice, slightly freaking about the fact that people could hear them, but was quickly relieved at who it was. It was easy to hack into the hotel's security to get ride of the footage anyway. 

"Hey, Blackwell," Lemon greeted the woman, opening the door for her. "Come on in.

The woman waltzed in the room, confident in her steps. 

"I've got the Death Note," she said as Lemon closed the door. 

"Perfect." Lemon smiled, eyes glinting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question: Would you want a chapter that is all just Lemon or would that be too soon? Just wondering if you guys would like that. Also, what are your theories about the character? Okay, that's two questions lol.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lemon's chapter. We learn more about the character and also more about Red and Blue's personalities. Lemon takes a risk that might be the end of the mysterious character.

This is it. This is the real thing. The thing that caused chaos throughout the whole world, that caused thousands upon thousands of deaths, those deaths including Mello and Matt. Kira's - and if not, the second Kira's - Death Note.

_Hmm, interesting. The rules are in English, which is expected. Let's see… "the human whose name is written in this note shall die…" Doesn't this also belong to a Shinigami? At least, that's what Mello told me. Where could it be, then?_

"Lemon?" 

"Hm, yeah?" Lemon looked up curiously at Blackwell, who was sitting on the couch with a computer, hacking into the footage system to delete her mistake. "What is it, Blue?" 

"You're spacing out, Sweetie," Blackwell - Blue - told her boss. Lemon cringed at the nickname, but let it slide. For now, at least. 

"Just thinking," Lemon waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, Red should be here soon." 

"Where did he go?" Blue asked, putting her feet up on the coffee table. 

"Just making sure the murder was found by the police." Lemon flipped to a blank page, studying the notebook. _How can it be so easy?_ they wondered. _Just write a name with the person's face in mind and boom, they're dead. Crazy._

"Done!" Blue exclaimed, just as the door opened and Red came in in his usual plaid grey and white shirt and khaki pants. Lemon always told him that the outfit was dull (Lemon loves colorful things), but Red never cared. "Oh, hey Red," Blue greeted. 

"Hey," Red replied and looked to his boss. "You got it?" 

"Yup!" Lemon held up the notebook for Red to see, grinning. "It's just how Mello explained it. I'm just glad that I kept the additional rules Mello wrote down for me. It's great!" 

_Lemon has always been such an optimist,_ Red thought, giving his younger companion a small smile. "It sure is," he agreed. 

"Are you planning on writing any names?" Blue asked, inquisitive. 

"Nope! At least, I'm not." Lemon shared a look with Red, who already knew the plan. "I'm also going to need you again for something else, Blue." 

Blue groaned. "Again? But I just got back!" 

"You're lucky I really like you or I would probably smack you," Lemon told her. In truth, everyone working for Lemon are lucky that their boss likes them. Lemon only picks the people they trust most, which means they are Lemon's favorites. Though the "favorites" better keep it that way. Luckily for them, their boss is open-minded to their mistakes. Most of the time. 

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But still!"

Red walked over Lemon and whispered, "Is she always this whiney?" 

Lemon chuckled. "Nah. She just doesn't take anyone's shit. It's why I like her." 

"And I'm tired," Blue added, having heard since Lemon didn't whisper. 

"Well, sorry about that," Lemon told the woman, watching Red sit next to her. "You can rest, of course. But for now…" Lemon held up the Death Note, waving it a little, side to side. "Who wants to risk death?"

The room was silent as, of course, no one wanted to risk death. The quiet lasted a few moments before Blue said, "That was blunt." Red couldn't help but agree. 

"What? I'm honest. Sue me." Lemon waved the notebook again. "The offer is still up." 

More quiet. Now Lemon started to get impatient. "Okay, okay," the nineteen-year-old said. "Does it make you feel better knowing that I will be risking my life, too?" 

A pause.

"Nope," Red said. "But I'll do it. For you." 

_Huh. That man would do literally anything for me, I swear,_ Lemon thought. 

"Okie-dokie!" Lemon walked over to stand in front of the older man and handed over the Death Note. "Here you go. Any last words?" 

"Uh…" Now this Red wasn't expecting. 

"C'mon, there has to be something!" 

"Nice nails?" Red tried, earning himself a laugh from Blue. Lemon looked down at the nails in question. Yellow, red, blue, green, and orange on one hand, then the same on the other. 

"Seriously?" Lemon raised an eyebrow at Red for that. "That's it?" 

"I also wanted to make a comment," Blue piped in, still chuckling. "They do look nice." 

"Thanks. Being non-binary is fun. Not that you have to be so to paint your nails, but anyway," Lemon turned back to Red. "Last words?" 

"I don't have any last words because I think it shows in my actions how I feel. I would do anything for you." 

Lemon gave him a look and Red shook his head. "Not in that way, boss." 

"Good. But cool last words. Now," Lemon smiled at Red, "write my name down." 

"What?!" Blue exclaimed, taking her feet off the table. Red's eyes also went wide, staring at Lemon is shock. 

"T-that was not the plan!" Red stuttered, gaping at Lemon. 

"Of course not. I thought of it just now." 

"You are an idiot," Blue hissed, glaring at her boss. "If you die, then all of this will be for nothing. We need you to keep this going." 

"I'm not planning on dying. I know Red can write fast." Lemon waved them off. "Please write my name." 

"I-I can't." Red looked up at Lemon with pleading eyes. 

"Red. You need to trust me with this. Just promise me you will write as fast as possible." 

The man sighed. "I promise." 

"Good! Write my name please. Quickly." 

So Red wrote, already knowing Lemon's real name. So did Blue, but they were the only one's who knew. 

Blue counted down forty seconds in her head while looking at her watch as Lemon instructed Red to write down the name five more times, each on a different sheet of paper in the Death Note. 

"Once more, just in case," Lemon told him, heart beating fast, fingers crossed. Red did so and Blue started to count down out loud. 

"Eight," she started, causing Lemon to flinch. "Seven." 

_Here we go,_ Lemon thought. 

"Six… five… four… three… two…" 

Red held his breath. 

"One!" 

__

_Oh God…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near and his small group is thrown through a loop when a direct and surprising message reaches them. Though it's the second message that changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I took a long time to update! *Hides*

_Click… click… click…_

Near watched the all-white puzzle pieces clicked together, all in harmony with each other.

_Click… click… click…_

There is a kind of satisfaction you can get from seeing each little piece slowly make a bigger picture, even when currently there was nothing on the puzzle.

_Click…_

Everything silent except for the sound of the puzzle getting put together. Near couldn't help but bask in it. Maybe just a little twirl of his hair… perfect. This setting was perfect. Now he can drift through random thoughts, just let them come and go like leaves blowing in the wind.

This peacefulness was golden. If only it could last…

"Near! You better come and see this!" 

Near looked up curiously at Rester's voice. He got up from the floor and walked over to the kitchen where the man was sitting at the table. He probably wanted food so he moved there temporarily, Near noted. "What is it, Rester?" 

"Look," Rester pointed to the computer screen where there was a message. 

` **Lemon is dead. We have the murder notebook. We can, and if necessary, will kill you with it, so don't try anything. You can get it back, but we want a trade: The notebook for Near. Yes or no?** `

"Near…" Rester focused his shocked gaze on Near, trying to read his expression. 

_Is it true? Is Lemon really dead?_ Near scanned the message again, putting the words into memory. _If he is, who knows who has the notebook now. Whoever it is, they said 'we' in the message. It's more than one person, that much is obvious. But… Lemon is dead? How can that be? It is possible that the people who have the notebook now killed him with it, but I wouldn't think Lemon would be that stupid. No, he can't be dead. …Can he?_

"Near, what should we do?" Rester asked. 

"If we say no, they might kill you and Lidner. I'm not entirely sure they know my name, but they might have the Shinigami Eyes, so I'm going to stay hidden." Near hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "If we say yes… I'm not sure what will happen."

"I'm back!" Lidner called from the doorway. Near and Reaster looked up as she walked into the kitchen. "What's going on in here?" 

Rester showed Lidner the message and the woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion. 

"I think we should ask them what would happen if we say no," Lidner suggested, not taking her eyes off of the screen. "Can you trace the mail?" 

"I've already tried," Rester sighed. 

"Ask them," Near ordered, verbally waving off the situation. The other two looked at him, baffled.

"Near, you know what could happen if we say yes or no," Lidner reminded him. 

"I know," Near told her. "I also know that I can't get distracted. Lidner, have you found anything?" 

Lidner, who was double-checking the latest crime scene, shook her head. "No. There was nothing." 

"As I expected. Rester, please notify me when they reply. I'm going to…" Near paused, feeling his eyes droop. He hasn't slept in over twenty-four hours. "I'm going to take a nap." 

Lidner and Rester watched as Near walked away into his room, closing the door behind him. 

"At least he's sleeping," Rester shrugged. 

In his room, Near climbed under the soft, sky blue covers. _So much for not getting distracted,_ he thought as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

____________

_I know if I do this, they will say yes. It's pretty much a guarantee,_ Blue thought as she broke in through security. _This guy seriously needs to up his security system; it sucks._

____________

Near gasped as he woke up from a nightmare. _Damn you, Kira._ Near couldn't count how many times he's had a nightmare based on the time at the Yellowbox. It has haunted his dreams for years, though he hasn't thought about it in a while. Though it still scares him to this day. 

Nothing changed in the dreams, except for the fact that he sees flashes of Mello in the background. Sometimes Matt. They were the ones who helped him solve the case, so he guessed it made sense. Also, Near and Mello were… well, he wouldn't say together, but there was something, though Mello liked to cover it up with hate. Perhaps he didn't _like_ to, but it seemed like it. Near would never know. 

Laying there, recovering from his nightmare, Near swore he felt even more exhausted than before. 

Staring at the ceiling, Near tried to distract himself. He thought about Lemon's relation with Mello; the lines above him on the ceiling from being painted; the fact that he's been trying to _not_ distract himself for a while now, but here he is. Luckily, it worked and Near could feel himself relax just a little. 

He stayed like that for a few minutes, when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," Near called out to the person, sitting up. 

Rester walked into the room carrying a laptop, Lidner following behind him. 

"They replied," was all Rester said as he handed the young detective the laptop. The man sounded nervous, Near noted. Lidner was also tensed, lips pursed and staying more back, watching for Near's reaction. 

First thing Near saw was the time. It had been a few hours before the person replied, which also meant he was asleep for about that long. 

The next thing he saw was the message. It read: 

` **If you say no, nothing will happen and we get to keep the notebook. Though, I think you probably wouldn't say no, as now we have something else to give you.** `

At the bottom of the message was an image link. Pressing on it warily, Near's eyes widened at the photo. 

There, gagged and bound to a chair, was Stephen Gevanni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Creeps out of hiding place* I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near's group discuss what to do about the trade (at least, try to) and Roger has finally joined the story with what could be a huge revelation regarding Lemon…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Mello! And enjoy, readers! :D

` **Lemon is dead.** `

_This is not possible. Why… why do I feel disappointed? This… it can't be._

Currently, the trio was debating on what to do about the kidnapping. To Near, this was quite interesting; he could feel an arguement drawing closer.

"We can't just leave Gevanni," Lidner insisted. "That's just… no, we can't."

"I agree." Near looked from his stack of dice he was working on and glanced at the woman sitting on the couch across from him.

"But how will we get him, and the notebook, back?" Rester asked from Near's left. Near could tell that neither of them were thinking of doing the obvious.

"I say we turn myself in," Near suggested, gaze dropping back down to his dice.

"What?!" the other two exclaimed, stunned by Near's remark. The young detective was right; they weren't thinking of it. They can be idiots every once in a while.

"I can find some way to excape," Near told them. "By then, you will have Gevanni and the notebook, so you will have the advantage to get me back."

"But until then, who knows what they'll do to you!" Lidner shivered. "There has to be a different way!"

"I think we should listen to Near," Rester commented. Lidner glared at the man with that suggestion.

As the two of them started doing the bickering Near predicted would happen, the younger withdrew into his own thoughts.

 _They used my personal alias in the message, which means they knew it. Lemon also knew what it was, so that could mean that they were bluffing and Lemon is currently alive. Yes, that has to be. Lemon's death was too sudden. But then again, so was Mello's. Hm, here's more of this disappointed feeling…_

"Near, you have a call from Watari," Lidner told him, handing him a phone. Looking around at her and Rester, Near could see that the arguement had died down. 

"This is L," Near said into the phone. 

_"L! Did you hear about Gevanni?"_

"Yes, of course." _Roger… How could I have not thought about this?! Roger knows everyone who has stepped in Wammy's House. Perhaps he knows about Lemon!_ "Watari, I have something to ask you regarding Wammy's and… and Mello." 

There was a moment of silence on the other end as Near waited, Rester and Lidner watching.

 _"Go ahead,"_ Watari - Roger - invited. 

"Do you remember anyone who went to Wammy's by using the alias 'Lemon'? Also, do you know his relation with Mello?" 

After a moments hesitation, Roger replied, _"I believe I do have the information."_

At that, Near put the phone on speaker so everyone could listen in.

"Tell us everything," he said. 

____________

_"Roger! Please?!"_

_9-year-old Mello gazed up pleadingly at the the man, a bar of chocolate clenched tightly in one hand._

_"Tell me who exactly this person is," Roger told the boy. The man didn't want to risk a random person wandering into the Wammy's House and not knowing at least this person's name._

_Mello considered what to say for a moment before saying, "Lemon. Call him Lemon."_

_"Mello," Roger sighed, "I need to know his name and how he is connected to you. Then I will consider letting him visit."_

_"But-" Mello protested before Roger cut him off._

_"No exceptions," Roger told him, final in his words._

_Mello groaned in annoyance. "Do I have to tell you his name?" he asked, crossing his arms._

_"Yes," was all Roger said to the boy. He then turned back to the book he was currently reading, sitting on a plush couch, waiting for Mello's reaction. He thought again, as he was sitting back down, about how Mello was able to find him as quickly as he did. Was the man getting that predictable?_

_Mello angrily chomped on his chocolate, glancing around at the books around him. He sighed, having been put in a corner. He didn't want to tell Roger Lemon's name (the less who knew, the better), but he really wanted him to visit._

_"Fine," he snapped. "If I really have to…"_

____________

"So… what's Lemon's name? Who is he?" Near asked, anticipating the answer. 

_"I don't have the name at the top of my head. I'll have to look in the files,"_ Roger replied. 

"Please do," Near told him quickly. _If we find out who Lemon is, a lot of questions will be answered,_ Near thought. 

_"Give me a few moments, then,"_ Roger said. 

Near's eyes narrowed. He has been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever. This could change everything for him. He needed this, he needed to know. But… if he figures out everything, things won't be as… fun. Near frowned at that. 

_Lemon… whether you are dead or not… I will find out who you are…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lemon Task Force proceed to try to find out Lemon's true name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to get this out before the New Year's. Happy Holidays and enjoy! :D

Three minutes.

It only took three minutes, but it was the longest three minutes Near has ever felt.

Three minutes before Roger exclaimed, _"Damnit, Mello!"_

"Is everything okay, Roger?" Near asked in a bored tone, though he was anything but bored at this moment of anticipation.

 _"It seems Mello had gotten to these files long before I have,"_ Roger told the Lemon Task Force.

"Does that mean…?" Lidner trailed off, disappointment heard in her voice.

_"Not quite."_

"Do you still have the name?" Near frowned. _Of course Mello would have changed the files. He probably did so in order to keep Lemon safe from Kira._

 _"Maybe. I'm not sure,"_ Roger admitted.

"How are you not sure?" Rester questioned. "A name is a name, right?"

_"There is only one word in the whole file."_

"And the word is…?" Near prompted.

"If it ends up being "Lemon", I'm going to punch something," Lidner muttered. Near couldn't help but agree, though he wouldn't punch anything.

 _"I… I don't know,"_ Roger sighed. _"It's in Russian."_

"Russian?" Lidner blanched. "I didn't even know Mello spoke that language." 

_"I'll send you the file,"_ Roger told Near. 

A few moments later, Near's laptop pinged. He grabbed and opened it, momentarily glancing at the plain blue star sticker over the camera. 

Opening the file, Near read the word. Well, he didn't read it as much as he studied it. Both Lidner and Rester rushed to Near's side.

**`` **

**Джамиль.**

"I'll look up the meaning," Rester told them and went to another computer. 

"Is that really all you can find?" Near asked Roger. 

_"Yes, it is."_

"Okay. Than that is all. Thank you, Watari." Near twirled his hair, thinking. 

_"Of course. I'll go for now."_ Roger hung up and Near lowered the phone.

There was silence for a small moment until Rester spoke. 

"It is a name!" the man exclaimed in surprise. 

"Really? What is it?" Lidner inquired.

"Ja…mEEl," Rester pronounced slowly. "Jamil. Do you think…?" 

_Jamil. Lemon. Could that be his name? If so, why would Mello leave that in the files? Perhaps, in a way, he wanted us to find out. But why?_

"Even if that is Lemon's name, it's only a first name. Or a last name. How will it help us?" Lidner pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," Rester agreed. He goes back to the other two and both he and Lidner sat back down in their spots. "If Lemon is dead, it would be no use, anyway." 

Near sighed right before his laptop gave another ping. He looked down at it and saw that another message had come up, and this one sent fear down his spine. 

` **You now have only thirty-two hours to decide.** `


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make a decision and plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry for taking a while to update! A lot more time passed than I thought lol. Here's a longer chapter, though!
> 
> And hey, it's official! There is only TWO MORE chapters left! *Shocked gasp!* So exciting!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :D

"No," Lidner insited. "No no no. Not doing that."

Lidner and Rester were back to arguing, and Near was laying on the couch with his eyes closed, mind racing. They now had less than thirty-two hours - less than _two days_ \- and they had to make a decision. Quickly.

"Doing the trade will make the risk of having someone dying lowered by about 18%," Near cut in, opening his eyes and looking towards the others. "In that case, I believe we should follow their orders."

"And what will happen if we don't?" Lidner asked. "What's the chance of someone dying then?"

"Guaranteed." Near thought that to be obvious.

"So if we do the trade, there is a 82% chance someone will still die," the woman pointed out. "The person who would die would most probably be you, Near."

"I understand that none of the odds will be in our favor," Near closed his eyes again, "but this is our best shot. We're all scared, but we have be brave. We need to get this done, and this is the only way."

Silence filled the room. Even Near's thoughts stilled. Everyone was going over Near's words, and everyone knew he was right, though no one liked it.

"Fine," Lidner relented. "You have a point. Though we will do our best to keep an eye on you for as long as possible."

Near agreed.

"So, uh, we're doing this?" Rester asked, a nervous look in his eyes.

"Yes, Rester," Near told him, sitting up and reaching for the laptop. "We are, in fact, doing this."

` **We will make the trade. Where and when?** `

____________

_Ping!_

"We got a message from L!" Blue called to the others. "We'll be making the trade!" 

Both Red and Orange grinned. This was perfect. 

"For Lemon," Red spoke, a happy glint in his eye. 

"For Lemon," the others agreed. 

`**We're happy you made a decision. Here's the location. We will be meeting tomorrow at 22:45. See you then.**`

____________

"It's pretty much just a small building," Rester said. " _Very_ small." 

"That's because it's just one empty room," Near told him, looking over the man's shoulder at the computer screen. The building looked more like a large shed made of bricks. 

"How are you sure it's empty? We're using satellite photos, so we can't see inside." 

"Look." Near moved the picture on the screen to the left to view more land. At first there were only trees seen, but when Near reached almost a mile away, the trees filtered out into a wide clearing, then to a small playground, where Near stopped.

"Huh." Lidner studied the playground. There seemed to be a bit more of it to the left, but the end of the screen blocked the view, so she couldn't tell. She could see a child on the swing set, and another down the slide. "Did you use to go there, or something?" she asked Near. 

The detective hesitated. He knew he could trust these two with his life, so why not this? "Of course. I played there quite often when I was young." 

Moving the picture even more to the left, a little past the playground, a large building came into view. 

"Is that…?" Rester breathed, eyes widening. 

"Correct. That is the Wammy's House." Near took his hand away from the computer and twirled his hair.

"So… you've been to the other building before?" Lidner glanced at Near, who seemed to be deep in thought. 

"Yes. It used to be an escape room, made to challenge the young minds of the Wammy's kids in the successor program. Luckily, even though they did keep track of the time, you had no time limit to make make it out. But that also meant you stayed in that room until you found an escape, however long it takes." 

Rester and Lidner looked at Near with wide eyes. Who would do that to a child?

"Relax," Near replied to their looks. "They stopped doing that a little bit before I left Wammy's." 

"Why?" Rester asked. 

"Someone almost died." That gave Near even more terrified looks. He tried to reassure them. "She's fine. Very healthy." 

The other two let out their breaths, relieved. 

"Okay," Rester looked back at the screen. "Let's get back to the subject. So because it was an escape room, there is only one door, correct?" 

"That's right," Near agreed. 

"Have you ever had to go in there?" Lidner asked Near, curious. 

"Of course. A few times, actually. The first time I was in there for five days." 

"Five days?!" Lidner exclaimed. 

"Guys! Stay focused!" Rester scolded them. 

"Sorry." Near replied, though he didn't sound like he meant it completely. Lidner just rolled her eyes. 

"So, if there's one door, and it's very small, how much people could fit in it comfortably?" Rester questioned. 

"Perhaps about five or six people," Near answered.

"A pretty smart choice," Lidner admitted. "It's small, so there can't be a lot of people, and there's only one door that they have to keep an eye on." 

"That's true for our side as well," Rester added. 

"Welp! I'm tired. Time for bed." Lidner straightened, already walking to the door. 

"But-" Near watched her leave, confused. It felt like they had just gotten started! 

"We have until late tomorrow to plan," she explained, reaching the door and looking over her shoulder. "Best to get our beauty sleep before the action happens. _Especially_ you, Nate."

Near's eyes widened in shock when Lidner used his real name. She never did that before, and the shock lasted even after Lidner left the room. 

"So… it seems like she means it." Rester got up and put the computer away. "And I agree with her. We should go to bed." 

"Okay," Near sighed. He _was_ pretty tired. 

In bed, Near stared up at the ceiling, which he does often before sleep. 

_Tomorrow night is going to be interesting. I'm glad the Wammy's House isn't that far away, which means our meeting place won't be either. Maybe I'll be able to see the orphanage again after so long. It is why I decided to come to Winchester in the first place._

Near felt a rush of sadness creep through him. Who knew what will happen during, and after, the trade? What will happen to _him_? 

_Tomorrow night will be the end. Or will it…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anticipation is starting to build up… :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near, Rester and Lidner get set up at Wammy's House and prepare for the confrontation with Lemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry for the long wait! I promise that next chapter will not take this long. But for now, enjoy the second-to-last chapter! :D

_Escape room. 22:45. Trade. Wammy's House. Lemon. Answers. I wonder if it will be too much?_

It seemed like so much was going on as the trio got ready for the meet-up. Lidner got a bug for Near that was small enough that it couldn't be detected. Rester was grouping up bullet-proof vests and helmets, just in case. Near, on the other hand, felt useless as he sat on the hotel room floor staring at his puzzle trying to get his mind wrapped around the fact that he was about to be traded. He agreed to it, of course, but that didn't lessen the blow.

Trying to make sense of it all, he gazed blankly at his unfinished puzzle, mind racing. Though he was momentarily snapped out of it by Lidner's voice.

"Near?"

"Yes?" Near glanced up at her expectantly for a second before looking down her shoes.

"If this is happening close to the orphanage, will there be a chance that someone there might get mixed up in what's going on?" the woman asked.

Near hadn't thought about that. He thought for a moment. "It would be unfortunate if something like that were to happen. Perhaps we could find a way to prevent that. Like… we could go visit the orphanage…"

 _Sneaky,_ Lidner thought. _We all knew you wanted to visit that place from the start._ "You know," she told him, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "if you wanted to go there, you could have just said so."

Near looked back at his puzzle, hair covering the view of his eyes. "Yes, I guess I could've," he admitted.

Lidner put her hand on his shoulder briefly in comfort. "We'll go," she assured him quietly.

"If we're doing that," Rester piped in, "then we should probably get going. We don't want to be late."

"Yes," Near agreed, and everyone got ready to go.

The drive there was short, but it gave Near more time to think. He dreamed about Mello again that night. Though, just like last time, Near wasn't able to actually see his face. The blonde was there, but Near couldn't turn to look at him. It was basically a redo of the time Near gave Mello's picture back to him, but there was one difference, at the end. Mello's words:

_"Oh, and one more thing. I want you to talk to Lemon for me. Tell… tell him that I miss him. Please…"_

The "please" at the end sounded like heartbreak. It was said with such pure emotion that it seemed almost out of character for Mello. These words were what Near thought about the whole drive.

____________

Pulling up into the Wammy's House driveway gave Near nostalgia like no other. It had been years since he had seen this place in person. Being back at the place he used to call home made him a little excited, and he temporarily forgot about the meeting that night.

Walking up the pathway to the opening of the building, Near looked around the land and spotted a few yards away the playground they saw from the satellite photos. Children laughed and played around the structures, getting lost in the fun of childhood.

"Near."

The young detective looked at the source of the voice and saw Roger standing right outside of the entrance.

"Hello, Roger," Near greeted. He noticed out of the corner of his eye the children at the playground stop and look in their direction, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Come in." Roger nodded at the trio.

 _Nothing has changed since I've last been here,_ Near thought, looking around at the inside of the orphanage.

"Come this way, please," Roger told them, and they followed.

Roger led them up the stairs and into a room that looked like a large office.

"This is huge," Lidner murmured.

"I expected Near to visit one day, so I set this up a while ago," the older man explained. "The kids have also been waiting."

Near was surprised by that news. "Really?" 

"Yes. They've always wanted to meet you and I may have gotten their hopes up," Roger chuckled. 

"Oh, I see." Near brought his hand up to his hair and started twirling it. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face. "Well, let's meet them, then." 

____________

"Are you sure it's ready?" Red asked Orange for the third time. 

"Yes, it's set up." Orange rolled his eyes. "I promise that any wiretaps will not be able to work in here." 

"Well, you have to be sure. We can't afford any mistakes." 

"I know, I know." Orange turned to their captive, of whom was tied to a chair in the corner of the small room. "You excited to see your beloved L again? It won't be for long, though." 

"Stop taunting him," Red said, leaning back against the wall. 

"But there's nothing else to do!" the other protested. He looked back at Gevanni and saw the man glaring at him. Orange smirked back. "And I like him, too." 

"Shut it, Orange." Red sighed and closed his eyes. _How did Lemon deal with this every day…?_

____________

_This… is not what I expected…_

The children stared at Near in wonder, and Near stared back, not knowing how to proceed. There was a long lasting silence that went through the whole building, the children and Near having a staring contest. 

"Say something," Lidner whispered in Near's ear. Near opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then tried again. 

"Hi." 

Then everyone was staring at Near as if he had two heads. The detective couldn't blame them; Near would probably do the same. 

"I am aware that this comes to a surprise for all of us," Near began, finally getting words out. The problem was the fact that Near didn't know how to continue. Thankfully, he didn't have to. 

"It's been a while, Near, but some of us know you already," an older kid in the back said. "I've even talked to you before." 

"Oh?" Near looked closer at the group before him and noticed that he did recognize a few faces, mainly the older ones. "Seems that you are right." 

"Yeah. Well, come on, you should eat." The kid turned and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. 

"We'll handle the setup of the wiretap, you can go," Rester told Near. Near nodded and followed the kid glancing back at the array of children still awestruck. Most still hadn't seen him before. 

_Maybe food will help settle my nerves,_ Near wondered, thinking about what's to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left!! I hope you're excited, because I'm excited! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my work! Comments and Kudos will be greatly appreciated. <3


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